Fire Emblem: Realm to Nexus
by Wizardly-K9
Summary: It's been nearly a year since Robin sacrificed himself to destroy Grima, but Grima's destruction didn't send the world into an era of peace. It merely replaced one terrible future with another. Ylisse is on the verge of a famine, Ferox will soon fall under the control of a ruthless new khan, and Valm is still in shambles. The Shepherds split up in this intercontinental adventure.
1. Preface

This story is gonna be a long one boy...

I'm making a expansive Fire Emblem Awakening fanfic. Most of you already know the world and rules that its playing by, but I made this little preface to keep you up on a few things unique about Realm to Nexus. Like...

**Pairings**

Chrom x Sully

Because I wanted this story to be different from other Awakening fics. Plus, a tomboy queen raising two tomboy princesses just sounds really kick-ass.

Robin x Tharja

Because this is the easiest (M)Robin couple to write around. Also, Tharja makes a beautiful plot device.

Lissa x Libra

I don't know. Because their names rhyme, I guess? Seriously, it more because I made Lissa a War Cleric in RtN's cannon (cannon in a fanfic... Pfft!), and there is going to be a couple times when Lissa mentions that Libra taught her how to fight.

Frederick

Sorry Freddy

Sumia x Henry

I needed an excuse for a couple more characters to go to Plegia, and Henry's backstory helps with that nicely. Also, I like the Cynthia that he and Sumia make (don't judge me.)

Maribelle x Vaike

Because it's easier to explain Brady's character.

Miriel x Donnel

Because farmers are going be surprisingly important in RtN.

Panne x Stahl

Panne licked his face. SHE LICKED HIS FACE!

Ricken

Maybe when you're older kid.

Olivia x Kellam

This one is just strange, I know. Really, I think Kellam is super underrated. He's one of the best units in the game and easily one of the best fathers, but he gets shunned to the sideline so much. Well, you know what? I saw Olivia and his support, and Olivia confusing Kellam for a talking tree is one of the greatest scenes in Fire Emblem history!

Cherche x Virion

How could you pair Cherche up with anyone else? Like seriously. How?

Nowi x Lon'qu

They played house together, and had an imaginary domestic dispute. They're soulmates.

Gaius

Why would he need love when he has candy?

Cordelia x Gregor

Gregor is perfect no matter who you ship him with, yes?

Also, a few other things I should point out.

1. All the kids have their original hair color regardless of parentage (yes, even Kjelle.)

2. All of the Spotpass characters are alive and are a part of the story.

3. None of the kids are paired together. Basically, they all have permanent A-supports.

4. OCs may take over the plot after a while, but I'll try my best to prevent that.

5. Chapters are **lengthy **in this fic._  
><em>

Now that all that complicated stuff is out of the way, enjoy the story and tell me what you think.


	2. Chapter 1

If you asked any wet nurse in Castle Ylisstol what bred their nightmares it was the thought of princess Lucina learning how to walk. The audacious little toddler had brought their fears to life and then some. When she learned to put one foot in front of the other, the rest was history. She ran underneath tables, climbed chairs, yanked drapes off of windows and gave every wet nurse charged with her care a collective migraine. Though the princess' antics were countless, there was one place she visited constantly.

She was almost to the goal that morning, with an anxious wet nurse hot on her tail. Before she could reach the door, a pair of firm yet soft hands scooped her up. She squirmed in the person's grasp until she realized who it was.

"Mama!" Lucina exclaimed the second word she had ever learned.

Sully smiled and coddled the child to her chest. "You little, hot-heeled munchkin! The wet nurses are gonna need wet nurses after spending an afternoon chasing you."

She looked toward the wet nurse who bowed awkwardly. "F-Forgive me, your majesty! She messed herself, so I changed her small clothes. When I finished and sat her on the ground, she took off!"

Sully whistled. "Damn Lucy... You're really blowing smoke when you've got those feet moving. You might not need to learn to ride horseback at this rate."

Lucina smiled and kicked her feet while her mother held her in her arms.

"I'm extremely sorry, Queen Sully. I swear it won't happen again."

"Don't worry about it. If I slapped the wrist of every wet nurse who had to chase Lucina up and down these halls, Chrom would be the only one left to babysit. Just forget about it for now. I'll take it from here."

The wet nurse nodded and left to perform her duties elsewhere. Sully and Lucina exchanged smiles and silly faces for a moment before entering the door in front of them. It was Lucina's favorite place in the castle. It contained no jewels or sacred treasure secured by a previous Exalt. There were no portraits of Ylissean royalty on the walls. The room was guarded only by small militia of stuffed animals that lined the shelves and windows. At the center of the room sat a crib. Currently, a pair of tiny hands were stretching up from its bars, trying to grab the mobile spinning above.

Sully sighed as she approached the crib. "You're never asleep when I come in here... You and your big sis are too hyper for own good."

Lucina brimmed a wide smile while looking inside the crib. "Shei-lee! Shei-lee!" she exclaimed.

Kjelle, the newborn infant, looked toward her sister and mother curiously. For a moment, the brand in her right eye was fully visible. After blinking twice, she turned her attention back to the mobile.

Sully snickered. "I guess those tiny wyverns and peagusi are way more interesting than us, huh?

"Why-verns! Why-verns!" Lucina exclaimed while reaching for the wooden dragonkin.

Sully watched her daughters and smirked. "You two are gonna be a mess when you get older, you know that?"

* * *

><p>Kjelle thought it was a nice day to take a stroll through the courtyard. The sun was out, the breeze was pleasant and most importantly, she had been instructed by her mother not engage in any training or sparring. Moseying around the castle was the only thing she could do to inhibit her anxiousness. She wasn't even wearing her armor that morning, which was a big surprise to both her and everyone else. She and Sully had just returned from a campaign in the East of Ylisse, and Kjelle still had some adrenaline racing through her veins.<p>

"_You sharpen a weapon with mail polish and a grindstone, not sweat and blood_, mother said. What sense does that make?" Kjelle asked herself. "What use is spear that never gets used? She should at least let me do weight training..."

Kjelle was on the crux of ignoring her mother's orders (something she rarely did) and sneaking off to the barracks to lift weights.

"Don't even think about it."

Kjelle looked back and frowned when she saw her elder sister marching toward her. "Mother told you no, Kjelle. You cannot train today or the week after."

"But why? Telling a soldier not to train is like telling a Manakete not to fly, or a Taguel not to eat carrots. My senses will go to dead at this rate!"

"It takes more than a week and a half of R&R for a knight of your caliber to lose their edge. Just trust mother's words. You know she would never give you bad advice."

"She gave us lots of other things when we were young. Spankings for one. Lectures for another."

"It's not like we didn't deserve them. You and I... We were quite the handful growing up. _You _especially. You broke just about anything you could get your hands on."

"Hmph! As if Pegasus Heels Lucina has the right to badger me about breaking things. You left a trail of broken vases and fallen drapes in your wake when you dashed down corridors."

Lucina cringed. She had almost forgotten about her childhood legend as "The Fastest Thing to Be Born Outside of a Stable." The memory had now resurfaced thanks to Kjelle. Before Lucina could chastise her for it, she and Kjelle heard a echoing screech from the skies above. They looked up and saw a brigade of wyvern knights soaring above the castle courtyard.

"Ah. Wyverns... They must be returning to the stables," Lucina said.

"Yeah..." Kjelle nodded.

If there was one thing the two sisters shared an adoration for, it was wyverns. They never understood why.

* * *

><p>There were few in Ylisse who shared Laurent's patience. For the past ten minutes he had stood outside of Robin's house and knocked on the door – three knocks each time, with a two minute interval in-between. Under his arm was scroll he checked once or twice while waiting in the sun which was wasn't getting any cooler.<p>

"C-coming!" a voice said after he knocked for the eighteenth time.

Laurent sighed in relief when the door finally opened. A bellow of dust flew out, and inside the dimly lit doorway appeared Noire. The bags under her eyes were so heavy, they looked like something had been gnawing on them all night.

"Oh... Hello, Laurent," she said meekly.

Laurent took off his hat and bowed. "Good morning, Noire."

The shade that Laurent's hat provided was gone, and Noire's face got hit by a bright gleam of the morning sun. She put her hands up and ducked back inside the house like a vampire.

"Too bright! Too bright!"

Laurent made a face and put his hat back on. He closed the door behind him as he entered.

"I speculate you didn't get much sleep?" he asked.

Noire shook her head. She had found some matches and began lighting candles in house. Laurent found it to be a modest home. After the Ylisse-Plegia War, Robin had purchased it for himself using his salary (which he had to convinced Chrom to lower to prevent people from accusing the newly appointed Exalt of favoritism.) Tharja moved in once she and Robin were wed, and the foulness of her hexes or rituals could still be smelled (or in a mage like Laurent's case, felt) throughout the house. The presence of Tharja herself was absent.

"How is your mother?" Laurent asked while Noire finished lighting candles.

Noire paused awkwardly. "She's... Morgan and I haven't seen her in the past few months."

"Has she abandoned the capital in search of Robin?"

"No. She's still in Ylisstol. She went the Alicion Magic Academy about three months ago, demanded the use of one of their dorm rooms and any tools and ingredients she would need, and has stayed cooped up in there ever since. The only thing the students at the academy can hear coming from the room are mother's ominous giggles and a few terrifying noises. It got so bad, the entire floor she's on was cut off to everyone but the staff."

"Hmm... That explains the dubious rumors I've been hearing about Alicion Academy lately. The academy's reputation will no doubt tarnish thanks to this."

Noire moaned. "Why does she have to do all this? Doesn't mother know she's only causing troubles for others? Morgan and I want to find father too but-"

"Noire."

"Huh?"

"Your hand is on fire."

Noire looked down. To her unawareness, the match she was holding had lit her glove aflame. "Whaaaaa!" Noire flailed her arm around like she swatting away hornets. Eventually, common sense arrived and advised her to pull the glove off. She cast the glove to the floor and extinguished it by beating it down with a coat she found hung up on a chair. She exhaled after putting the fire out.

"Noire."

"Huh?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that Morgan's coat?"

Noire looked down. The inside of Morgan's favorite coat; the coat she had inherited from their father back in their original timeline, had a grotesque scorch mark in the center of it. Noire gasped.

"How could I do this? Morgan's been trying to find father as much as mother has, and now... now I've just destroyed the most important thing he ever gave her..."

Noire sat on the floor in a broody mood while staring at the coat. Laurent coughed in his hand.

"Ahem! Not to disregard your feelings, but could you tell me where Morgan is? I came here to give her something."

Noire looked at the scroll under Laurent's arm. She nodded, folded Morgan's coat neatly and led Laurent to the back of their home. It was about as dark as the rest of the house and just about as clean, give or take a few cobwebs. Noire stopped at a door and knocked on it.

"Morgan! Laurent is here! He's brought you something!"

Silence answered her back. She knocked again.

"Morgan! Come on... Laurent is right here!"

"Noire, is quite alright. I'll just leave this scroll-"

"MORGAN! HOW LONG DO YOU PLAN TO KEEP US WAITING YOU DAWDLING LITTLE HARLOT?! GET OUT HERE NOW!"

Laurent was taken aback by Noire's sudden display of Blood & Thunder. Apparently, so was Morgan. A series of tumbles and various things hitting the floor was heard before Morgan poked her head out of the door.

"Gods, Noire... Is Blood & Thunder really called for this early in the morning?" Morgan asked while rubbing her eyes awake.

"S-sorry... but Laurent came over, and he brought you something."

Laurent nodded. He put the scroll in Morgan's view. Her eyes widened.

"Is that..." she began.

"Affirmative." Laurent nodded.

It was a newly chartered map of the known world. The cartographers at Ylisstol quickly began charting a new world map that took the continent of Valm into account. Several Valmese had been conscripted to help build the map, but the most helpful (and arguably the least) was none other than archest of archers, Virion.

Morgan's everyday perkiness resurfaced on her face like the sunshine over a hilltop. She grabbed the map, observed it up close then hugged it to her chest.

"Oh, thank you so much Laurent! I know this must have been real pain in keister to get," she said.

"Actually no. All I had to do was ask."

"Really? The cartographers just gave you a brand new map, just like that? Aren't there barely any copies?"

"Yes, but considering I was a member of the team who charted the map to begin with, obtaining a copy was simple."

"You helped make the new world map?" Noire asked in disbelief.

"Yes. My mother and I both volunteered. We may have hindered the process a bit, truth be told. Mother was very concerned when it came to the map's latitude, and I'll admit to my intricacies when it came to detailing ravines and mountain ranges."

Morgan and Noire could picture the scene perfectly: several cartographers sitting at table watching Laurent and his mother Miriel do 98% of the work, wondering when they would get a chance to do their jobs. The remaining 2% probably fell to Virion who most likely sat at the end of the table bragging about his recent escapades to anyone who would listen, and also anyone who wouldn't.

"Anyway, thanks a bunch," Morgan said again.

She walked back into her barnyard of a room. Papers and books literally hid the floor from view. Morgan pulled a bag from _somewhere_ and put the scroll inside.

"Come on, Noire. Let's go," she said.

"Go? To where?"

"To Alicion Academy of course! We have to go see mother."

Morgan took her coat from her sister. She paused when she saw the scorch mark. Noire was frozen in place. She stared at her feet while Morgan stared at her coat. Laurent felt immensely uncomfortable between them.

"Morgan... I'm so sorry. I was lighting candles and got distracted and-"

"It's fine," Morgan said, putting on her coat.

"Huh?"

"I said its OK. It's only the inside anyway. Nobody will ever see it."

"But that coat is so important to you. Father gave it to you when you were just a toddler back in our time."

"So that means I just have ask the father from **this** time to give me his coat, right?"

Noire blinked at her little sister's logic.

"Now come on! Let's go already! Laurent, you can come too."

"Actually, I only came to deliver the-"

Morgan had already took off for the door. Noire gave Laurent an apologetic look and went after her sister after putting out all the candles. Laurent sighed and followed the girls to Alicion Academy.

* * *

><p>It had been a while since someone had requested an audience with Chrom. After the Grimeal War, he remembered being sacked with requests for audiences from various magistrates and nobles, some of which wanted to know if Grima was truly destroyed, but the majority shared the same concern – how much money was going to come out of their pockets to pay for Ylisse's restoration?<p>

Which was a fair question, Chrom supposed. Though Ylisse had not suffered as much architectural damage as their Plegian neighbors, several crops and fields had been destroyed thanks to the Risen. The farmers would have to start from scratch if they wanted to have anything decent growing by harvest time, and most them had neither the time or manpower for such a task.

Honestly, the farmers with salvageable land were the lucky ones. Many farmlands had been rendered worthless. A great migration of farmers was about to take place and somebody was going to have give them a new place to farm and the money to start over. None of that was going to be cheap.

Chrom stood in the audience room thinking everything over.

"Problem, milord?" Frederick the wary asked.

"Sure. How many do you want me to name?"

"I understand your anxiousness concerning everything that's happened: Grima's defeat, Robin's sacrifice... and now the issue with the farmers."

"It's not just an issue Frederick. Ylisse is on the brink of a famine right now, and nobody outside of these walls save for the farmers know about it. If I don't find a way to solve this problem now, it'll be the beginning of another terrible era, just like the one my father headed. Only this time, we won't be able blame a neighboring kingdom for Ylisse's woes."

"You can salvage this realm, milord. I know you can. You've done it with sword and spear. You can do it again with pen and quill."

"Yeah. ...But can I do it without Robin?"

Chrom and Frederick shared a moment of silence. The silence was broken by a soldier walking into the audience chamber and addressing Chrom.

"Exalt, your guest has arrived. Will you see her now?"

Chrom nodded.

"Very well, Exalt. The Queen of Chon'sin shall see you now."

Chrom and Frederick looked at each other.

"Frederick, did he just say the Queen of Chon'sin?"

"That he did," an accented voice said.

Donning a silk robe instead of her typical battle garb, Say'ri the princess turned Queen of Chon'sin entered. She bowed without bending knee, a Chon'sin tradition.

"It's been a long time since our last meeting, Chrom. You as well Sir Frederick."

Chrom smiled. "Yeah. Too long. It's good to see you again, Say'ri. I see that the outfit you're wearing is very... _unusual_ compared to your typical clothes."

"These _are_ my typical clothes. I can understand your confusion. I wore my battle garb for the duration of the Valm Conquest and the Grimeal War. My brother also wore a similar outfit when he was king."

"He wore a dress as well?"

"It's not a dress. It's a-" Say'ri sighed then chuckled. "Perhaps we should get back on subject."

"Oh, yes. Of course. What did you request an audience for?"

"I came to propose a swap. You could call it a trade, but considering what we would be trading, the term seems very out of place. It concerns Ylisse's agriculture. From what I've heard, the large portion of Ylisse's fertile lands were destroyed and corrupted by Risen, rendering much of it unable to be harvested."

"That's right. Our farmers are really in trouble right now. And though most people don't realize it, I know that when the farmers are in trouble, we're _all _in trouble."

"I agree. Chon'sin went though a terrible famine in the past. Children starved, entire farms had to be burned down, and the population was decimated. But through those adversities our farmers have become resolute, experienced. They have become versatile. The average farmhand in Chon'sin could turn a worthless plot of land into a field of harvest. Not to mitigate your farmer's accomplishments, but I would say Chon'sin is eras ahead of Ylisse in terms of agriculture."

"Not to interject milady, but did you come here to address an issue or boast to Chrom about your kin?" Frederick asked.

"Frederick! Must you always be so frank?"

"No. Frederick is right, Chrom. Let me get to the point. What I say about Chon'sin's farmers, the same could be said for Ylisse's architects. I've seen the average masonry at work in Ylisse, and frankly nothing outside of Chon'sin's capital can compare. Your builders are amazing, and considering the damage that was done during Walhart's conquest, fine constructionists are what Chon'sin needs. Just like versatile farmers are what Ylisse needs. So I propose a swap: your masons and architects in exchange for Chon'sin's farmers."

Chrom and Frederick were both surprised by Say'ri's idea. It was logical, yes, but also crazy in its scale.

Frederick snorted. "This has to be the most irrationally rational thing I've ever heard."

"I'm sharing your sentiments a bit, Frederick. Say'ri do you know what you're proposing?" Chrom asked. "We're relocating thousands of people here. We'll need hundreds of ships, places for all of these people live as well translators and enough money to pay them all. Plus, some of them will want to bring along their families."

"I welcome them to. After the Ylissean workers finish their jobs, they are free to stay and become official citizens of Chon'sin if they so wish."

It was another surprising proclamation. Chrom thought for while. He could feel Frederick's stalwart gaze on him. Like a clairvoyant, Frederick already knew what Chrom's answer would be.

"So... an intercontinental migration. That's your solution to Ylisse and Chon'sin's problems, Say'ri?"

"Yes. I believe this will be best for both nations."

Chrom smiled. "Well it looks like we agree then. I'm all for this Ylisse-Chon'sin Migration."

A wave of gratitude emerged on Say'ri's face. Frederick sighed.

"Say'ri, how long until your people will be ready?" he asked.

"Three months at the most. I can presume the same for Ylisse."

"That you can," Chrom said with a nod.

Say'ri bowed once more before exiting the audience chamber.

"Milord, it seems we're going to have a lot more sheep to look after," Frederick said.

"We better get the Shepherds ready then. They're going to have their work cut out for them this time."


	3. Chapter 2

Any instructor or scholar from a well acclaimed university or academy will tell you that prestige meant everything. An institute of education was only worth as much as its reputation preceded it to be, and Alicion Academy's prestige had sunken so low, the academy was going to need crutches to withstand any criticisms soon. Morgan, Noire and Laurent could tell as soon as they arrived at the academy. Something wrong had infected the otherwise professional air the school gave off.

"It looks like Mother's been busy at work," said Morgan.

"So dark... I haven't felt this much darkness in months," said Noire.

"Indeed. At this rate isolating your mother to a single floor won't be enough," Laurent said. "The entire academy will have to be evacuated."

Morgan and Noire looked at each other. Their mother was Tharja, the gloomiest dark mage to ever live. After Robin sacrificed himself to destroy Grima, Tharja went through a period of desolate bitterness. She ignored both of her daughters as well as the rest of the Shepherds and concentrated solely on finding her missing husband. Clairvoyancy spells and recognition hexes all failed. She went to greater and greater strides until she realized that nothing she could do at home would help her find Robin. She decided that the Alicion Academy was the perfect place for her to perform her experiments, and using her status as a Shepherd, she secured herself boarding and supplies, and preceded to terrify the students and staff of the school

Morgan, Noire and Laurent entered. The chills they felt outside intensified. Shuddering, the three continued onwards. They didn't bothered asking for permission to be at the school, mainly because nobody was at the front desk. Whomever worked there must have thought that the pay wasn't worth the effort. There were plenty of students still around, though all of them were hunkered away in their rooms like it was hibernation season. Occasionally, they opened their doors to peek at the trio passing by.

"H-hey. You guys. Where are you going?" asked a random student.

Morgan stopped. "We came here looking for someone. Do you know Tharja?"

The student's eyes widened. "Tharja?! That crazy sorceress who's taken over the academy? Why would you want to see _her_?"

"Uh... We're her daughters," Noire confessed.

"Daughters?! That witch had children?! But the both of you are too old! She's using some evil magic to preserve her youth isn't she?!

Morgan shook her head. "Not that I know of. Though she did tell me that our grandmother-"

The door slammed shut. Morgan heard it lock.

"It seems Tharja's become rather infamous throughout the academy," Laurent said. "If you came to retrieve her Morgan, I think it would best for us to make haste."

Morgan nodded and the three headed toward the stairwell.

"What floor was Tharja on again, Noire?" Laurent asked while the three climbed.

"The third, I think. It might been-"

They reached the third floor and all at once, a wave of foulness hit them like hot air. Laurent literally had to hold his hat down to prevent it from flying off.

"Nope. It's the third floor alright," Morgan said while readjusting the strap over her shoulder.

They headed toward the room the dark energy was coming from. They may as well have been walking into a pit of hell. The closer they got, the denser the atmosphere became. Then Noire noticed something.

"There's somebody ahead of us," she said.

Indeed, somebody was already at Tharja's door, knocking on it incessantly. He was a mage. A short mage that they all recognized.

"Tharja! Tharja get out here right now!" Ricken demanded. "I won't allow you to terrorize this academy any longer!"

"Ricken? Is that you?" Morgan asked as she and the other two approached.

"Huh? Morgan, Noire, Laurent? Why are you guys here?"

"We could inquire the same of you. Did you not graduate from Alicion Academy years ago?" Laurent asked. "You graduated at the top of your class after barely three years of study. All your instructors agreed you were a prodigy."

"Yeah. I know. But even though I was only here for a little while, this place is still important to me. A lot of the students and instructors are friends of both me and my house. So when I learned from a few of them that Tharja had arrived at the academy and turned it into a temple for her wicked hobbies, I had to come and do something."

"Have you had any success?"

"Nuh uh. For three days I've been coming by and banging on Tharja's door. I haven't seen her face once."

Noire cringed. This was far worse than she thought. Alicion Academy was one of the highest acclaimed magical institutes in Ylisstol; perhaps all of Ylisse. All that was about to come crumbling down because of her mother's obsession with finding her father.

"This is all our family's fault..." she mumbled.

"H-huh?! No! That's not what anyone's saying, Noire!" Ricken blubbered. "You can't blame yourselves for Tharja's actions."

Laurent nodded. "That's right. Also, your mother's actions are only motivated by her drive to locate your father. She does mean well... probably. Right Morgan? Morgan?"

Morgan was knocking on Tharja's door. "Mother? It's Morgan. I came with Noire." Silence answered her. She blinked and pulled the map out of her sack. "You aren't going to believe this mother, but Laurent gave me something that will help me find father within a week."

Silence answered again, followed shortly by the click of the door unlocking. Like the front door of a haunted house, Tharja's door creaked open slowly. Smoke bellowed out of the room like she had started a fire (which she might have.) When the smoke died down, Tharja's figure was standing in the doorframe.

"Morgan..."

"Hi Mom."

"You better not be lying about finding Robin within a week."

"Oh. I was was. I mean come on. If you couldn't find Father after several months of constant experimenting, there's no way I'll find him within a week using just this map."

Tharja gave a grim expression (which was basically her typical expression.)

"If you aren't going to help, go home and stop pestering me," she said while closing the door.

Morgan jammed it open with her foot. Tharja's face got darker.

"Morgan... Am I going to have to put you in **time out?**"

Noire shuddered. Time out meant a different thing to Tharja than it did for most parents. Back in the future, Tharja's time outs usually involved her hexing her children's mouth and making them sit in the corner for twenty four hours. Of course Morgan wouldn't know that. She had amnesia.

"Mother, you really need to stop bothering the people at this academy. They're going to have to quarantine this place at this rate."

"I'll leave once I've found a way to trace your father."

"And how long will that take? Months? Years? You have to leave, Mother."

"That's right Tharja. You're ruining Alicion's reputation," said Ricken. "Can't you do you creepy experiments somewhere else? Chrom will probably find you a place if you ask."

"That's right. He afforded my mother a adequate abode for her to continue her work in," Laurent added.

Noire walked up. "Mother please... Can't you just-"

"No! Gods, you pests are worst than bedbugs... I'll leave when I'm done finding Robin – that's the only condition! Now disappear before I hex your tongues to your uvulas."

The door slammed shut. Everyone stared at Tharja's door before giving a collective sigh.

"Well... It looks like recruiting mother was a bust," Morgan said regretfully. "I guess we'll just have to go see her family in Plegia by ourselves, Noire."

The door swung open again. Tharja appeared out of it, her eyes widened.

"...What did you just say?" she asked.

Morgan scratched her head. "Uh, Noire and I were going to visit your family back in Plegia. We thought since everyone in your family is trained in the dark arts, one of them could help us find Father. We wanted to bring you along but..."

"What makes you think my family can help?"

"Nothing. That might not help us at all," Noire admitted. "But getting help from them is better than running is circles by ourselves."

"When are two planning to leave?"

"Before the end of the month," Morgan said. "I was originally thinking two months, but Laurent got this map to me sooner than I thought."

Tharja leered at both her daughters. Then she shut the door once more.

"...I'll meet you two at home when the month's over. You better be ready when I get there," she said.

Morgan and Noire smiled at each other. Ricken was glad Tharja would finally be gone. Laurent just sighed. He hadn't anticipated for his morning to be so adventurous.

* * *

><p>"You mean we're going to have a foreign exchange?" Stahl asked.<p>

It had been four days since Say'ri met Chrom, and the young Exalt had made sure that the Chon'sin Queen's plan reached as many ears as possible. Already, all of Ylisstol was in a buzz about the intercontinental swap.

"Eh. I wouldn't call it a exchange so much as a migration," Gaius said."We're talking big numbers here, Joe. Huge. This is probably the first time this many people have been shipped across the sea to do something besides hack up the guys on the other side. Blue's really outdone himself this time."

Gaius was sitting on a table at the Shepherd Base, chatting about the Ylisse-Chon'sin Migration with Stahl, Yarne, Sumia, Gregor, Severa, and Gerome. Stahl and Sumia sat at the table Gaius was sitting on. Yarne was leaning on his father's chair. Severa and Gregor sat in the corner polishing swords, and Gerome sat in the windowsill by himself. He appeared rather detached by the situation.

"Wow... So the captain is really going to make something like that happen? Won't directing that many people be a little... hectic?" Sumia asked.

"Chrom already thought of that. He's held two council meetings in the past three days to organize the route and appoint people to guard it."

"Guard it? You mean like Pegasus knights?"

"Bingo. So don't be surprised when Chrom comes knocking at your door, Stumbles. You too, Gramps."

Gaius was addressing Gregor who was holding his polished sword up to the sunshine. He smiled at its gleam.

"Ha ha! You see Severa? This is how you keep sword polished and gleaming! It shines in the sunlight like newborn baby's bottom!"

Severa held up her own sword. Her gleam was not so radiant. In fact, the ray of sunlight passed over her blade like water in a stream. Severa cringed. Gregor patted her shoulders.

"It's fine. It's fine. Severa knows how to swing sword like master. Polishing sword like master will come with practice."

Severa started polishing her sword like a madwoman while Gaius called out to her father.

"Oy! Gramps, do you hear me just now? I said that Chrom is probably going to recruit Cordelia to guard ships during the migration. Your significant other might be away from home for a while."

"If duty calls, duty calls. Gregor understands that sometimes work come between you and home sweet home, yes?"

Yarne tapped the back of Stahl's chair. "Hey, Gaius... How do you know all this stuff?" he asked.

Gaius cocked a brow. "I haven't become an informant/spy for Blue and Grizzly is that's what you're saying."

"Uh... I didn't say anything like that."

"So you're saying I took the job after Blue got his little sister to blackmail me with a treasury's worth of treats, pies and cakes?"

"I-"

"Well Joe Jr, let me tell you that that is not the case **at all**."

Stahl, Yarne and Sumia blinked slowly at Gaius. He spit out the stick of a sucker and replaced it with a new one.

"Anyway, Blue's scouting for men to help with the migration and he's hoping to get a lot volunteers out of the Shepherds. You up for it Gerome?"

Gerome looked Gaius' way once, then turned away.

"Minerva had been restless for the past few weeks. It might do her good to stretch her wings across the sea."

"So you're going? What about your parents?" Severa asked. "Virion and Cherche are finally headed back to Rosanne after almost a year, and you're not going with them?"

"No. I'm not. My mother is pregnant right now."

"And you don't want to be around when you're born?"

"Do you? Whatever environment the me from this world grows up in, he should be able to have it all to himself. I had a home and parents, and lost them. I'm not going to make this world's Gerome share his."

Gerome's words resonated with Severa. She went back to polishing her sword. It was clean enough that she could see her reflection in the blade. Her face was not a happy one.

"Oy, Severa." Gregor got her attention. He patted her head. "Is alright. When other Severa is born, this Severa can stay long as she wants. Gregor's heart big and wide enough for two daughters."

Severa blushed and slapped Gregor's hand away. "W-whatever! Like I care about your heart! I might just go off on my own after all!"

She stormed off with her sword still in hand. Gregor sighed as he watched his daughter leave.

"So much headache... Why can't she accept parental affection Gregor and Cordelia give her?"

Everyone could hear Gaius chewing. "Must be hereditary."

* * *

><p>Castle Ylisstol was beyond hectic at the moment. Magistrates were going in and out. Soldiers were marching around the castle grounds, and Lucina and Kjelle had never seen so many stacks of paperwork lying about.<p>

"Gods... Somehow, the castle has turned into a bureaucracy," Kjelle said.

She and Lucina were trying to wade their way around their way through the castle, and though they were careful they still managed to bump into a few maids and a paperwork carrying bureaucrat by accident.

"Oh! Excuse us!" Lucina said helping a woman pick up her papers. "We were just passing through and-"

The woman didn't let the princess get in another word. After all the papers were gathered, she brisked down the hall without a second glance. Exalted royalty had apparently become second priority in the castle.

"This is ridiculous. It's like we don't even exist," said Kjelle.

"Well, the Ylisse-Chon'sin Migration is keeping everyone busy. Papers have to been signed, ships have to be readied, and things are going to get even crazier when its time to move the farmers. Anyway, we have to find father. He's most likely in his study."

The princesses headed to Chrom's study. When Lucina knocked on the door, an unexpected voice answered.

"C-come in..." a soft voice said.

Lucina did, and sitting in Chrom's study was the previous Exalt of Ylisse, Emmeryn.

"Aunt Emmeryn?" said Lucina in befuddlement. "Why are you in father's study?"

Emmeryn smiled at her. "To play with... my nieces."

Lucina and Kjelle looked down. Cuddled in Emmeryn's arms was baby Kjelle, and tugging at her green robes was toddler Lucina.

"Auntie! Play! Play!" little Lucina exclaimed while hopping up and down.

"When your father returns... we'll play hide and...seek, OK?"

"Yay!"

Lucina blushed at her younger self's behavior. Kjelle smirked.

"Which one of us was a handful again?" she asked.

Lucina glared back at her. "Just a wait a year or two. You'll catch up."

"Lucina? Kjelle? What are you two doing here?"

The sisters looked and saw Chrom coming up the hall.

"Father, we've been looking for-"

"Da-di!"

Little Lucina interrupted elder Lucina and made a mad dash for her father. She inevitably tripped and hit the floor face first. Everyone was shocked.

"Lucina, are you OK?!" Chrom asked while picking his her off the floor.

"Da-di! Play! Play!"

Despite hitting her face, Lucina had lost none of her pep during the tumble. Chrom shared a sigh with Emmeryn and stood with Lucina in his arms.

"We'll play in a minute sweetie. First, I have to see what your... _big sisters_ want."

The _big sisters _in question walked into the room and closed the door behind them.

"It's about the Ylisse-Chon'sin Migration, father. Kjelle and I want to be a part of it."

Chrom's face gave surprise. "You want to be a part of the migration's guard, then?"

"No. We want to go to Chon'sin," Kjelle said. "With your permission we would like to be guests of Queen Say'ri until the work is done."

"You want to stay in Chon'sin with the workers? Why?"

"To get away from them."

Kjelle pointed at her and Lucina's younger selves. Emmeryn's face spelled concern while Chrom's was more preoccupied with confusion.

"You don't want to be around your younger selves?" he asked. "Is this about the future? Will something happen to you or them if you stay in the same timeline for too long?!"

Lucina put her hands up. "Calm down Father. It's nothing that complicated or otherworldly. In fact, it's personal. Kjelle and I had a talk with Gerome and Laurent not to long ago. The four of us are the eldest out of the all the children that came to the past, and Gerome and Laurent's birthdays are coming soon."

"Alright. What does that have to do with you wanting to go?"

"We've decided... that it would be best if our past selves grow up without any intervention from us."

"What! Lucina, we've had this talk already. Your mother and I love you just as much as we love the child in my arms right now. You don't have to torture yourself for nothing."

"But I'm not torturing myself, Father. I'm helping myself. When I was young and you and Mother died, all Kjelle and I wanted was to have a family again. To talk with you, to ride with mother, to hug you two once more. The girl you're holding right now has the chance to have all, and I'm not going to make her share. I love you Father, and spending time with you means the world to me, but right now this Lucina's adulthood isn't as important at that Lucina's childhood."

Kjelle nodded. Chrom could tell just from looking in her eyes that she felt the same way. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The only sound being made was baby Kjelle's squeals.

"Alright. Fine. If you two want to go to Chon'sin for a while, I'll ask Say'ri could she keep you two as royal quests. But only under one condition: you two aren't running away and I'm not getting rid of you. Whenever you feel homesick I want you to come back home **immediately**."

Lucina and Kjelle smiled. They nodded in accordance to Chrom's condition.

He smiled back. "Right then. I guess it's time for hide and-"

"Exalt Chrom!" a soldier appeared from outside the hall. "High Magistrate Edington has called for a council meeting, sir! He and the rest of the council are waiting for you."

"Gods, not again! Edington has struck my last nerve today! Lucina, here. Play with her for me."

"Wha?! But Father-"

Chrom gave little Lucina to big Lucina and hastily headed toward the council chamber with the soldier. Lucina looked at herself while herself looked at her.

"Um... Do you want to play hide and seek?" she asked.

Little Lucina's face lit up. "Yay!"

Emmeryn chuckled. "Don't... hurt yourself, Lucina."

Lucina smiled wearily. "I'll try."


	4. Chapter 3

The council chamber had never been a place for lightheartedness. The air amongst the seated magistrates was so stony it was a surprise the round table between them didn't collapse under its weight. No one displayed impatience as openly as Magistrate Gustine. His long fingers rapped against the oak, causing an awkward echo to bounce about the room.

"The Exalt is late. ...Again," Gustine said. "Hmph! He approves of a money squandering idea like this _migration _without the council's permission, then he proceeds to be late to every meeting concerning the issue. What cheek!"

"Cheek is disgracing the Exalt in his absence like some intoxicated gutter trash at a tavern," Magistrate Maribelle retorted.

A few snickers were heard around the table. Gustine glared at Maribelle. He and the young noble had not gotten well in the past year. Things started off on a bad foot when, after becoming a magistrate (the youngest in Ylisse's history to date,) she began exposing corruption among Ylisstol's nobility. Fraud, smuggling, bribery; several crimes of these natures were thrown out into the public, and several well-known houses were shamed when their heads were jailed. The latter events struck a special chord with Gustine, because some of those lords were his political allies. His influence in Ylisstol had been cut in half in only a year thanks to this uppity new magistrate.

"Don't think just because you come from a highborn house, you can afford to be lippy with your seniors in the council."

"Lippy? I chastise you for slandering Chrom, so now I'm lippy? My, you come up with more obtuse slang than my son. You don't have to worry about my house's status going to my head. While it's true that I was born with class that no commoner or laymen could comprehend, my... _lippyness _derives from my own accomplishments. Something I'm sure you're unfamiliar with, Magistrate Gustine."

A vessel bulged on Gustine's pale forehead as he slammed his fist into the table.

"How dare you condescend me you little-"

"Enough."

The entire chamber went silent. All eyes aligned on raven-haired, middle aged man sitting in the second highest chair in the room. It was the seat for the High Magistrate, the second-in-command after the Exalt. Sitting there was Edington Lopus, the greatest commander to ever service Ylisse, and the former right hand of Chrom's late father. His sharp eyes peered up at Gustine.

"You dishonor our Exalt by spouting complaints in his absence, Gustine. You would do well to watch your tongue," he threatened.

Gustine's bit his lip and looked away. He began rapping the table again.

"And you – Magistrate Maribelle. Your resume is impressive, true. But your tone is too tall for a newblood in this council. Learn to respect your constituents."

For once, Maribelle held her tongue. She need only look into Edington's eyes once to know not to defy him. She nodded. Edington lowered his gaze again, and the chamber was filled with quiet until Chrom arrived.

"Glad to see you finally made it, Exalt," said Edington when Chrom entered.

Chrom made a face. "Well, excuse me High Magistrate. I had to pull myself away from my family just to attend."

"All of Ylisse is your family, Exalt. And right now, they need a good father."

Chrom snorted and sat in his chair. It was the tallest and was parallel to Edington's chair, which he disliked, but it was also adjacent to Maribelle's which he was more comfortable with.

"So? What did you call this meeting for, Edington? Are you going to harass me about destroying the kingdom's budget again?"

"No. I think that would be Magistrate Gustine's duty, Chrom," jested Maribelle.

Gustine scowled.

"It's about the recent rebellion in the East, Exalt," Edington said.

"You mean Lord Brent? I thought Sully and Kjelle already stomped that out."

Indeed they did. Lord Brent was the lord of an old family in Ylisse, stretching back to the kingdom's origins. After the Grimleal War, he tried to start a rebellion in the East, presuming that Chrom and his Shepherds would be vulnerable after their fight with Grima. He was wrong. Sully and Kjelle easily routed his conscripted army, and Lord Brent was slain while trying to escape.

Edington folded his arms. "Brent's rebellion – if such a pathetic attempt could be called such – was stopped. His accomplices are still at large, however."

"Accomplices? Brent and his house weren't working alone?"

Edington looked toward a servant holding a stack of papers. The servant nodded and walked over to Chrom, sitting the stack down in front of him.

Chrom held it up. "...These are?"

"Names. Hundreds of them," Edington said. "All of them are suspects for conspiring against the Exalt."

Maribelle was shocked. "Why would anyone conspire against Chrom? He defeated Plegia and their Mad King. He thwarted Walhart's conquest. He even destroyed Grima, for Naga's sake!"

"He also failed to stop the previous Exalt's execution, resulting in her acquiring permanent brain damage and a broken memory. While fighting Walhart, he left Ylisse vulnerable to Validar's intentions, and his defeat of Grima is nullified by the fact that he helped summon him – inadvertently or no."

Maribelle bit her lip. She watched Chrom flip through the list names until he stopped with an alarmed look on his face. He looked at her.

"Maribelle... Your father's name is on this," he said dismayed.

"What?!"

Maribelle snatched the list and read it. Her father's name was clear as day. What is more, Ricken's father was on the list as well. Maribelle glared at Edington.

"What's the meaning of this, you?!" she barked.

"What did I say about keeping your tone balanced, Newblood?"

"I'll lower my tone after you tell me why my father has been branded a traitor! He's already been framed once, and I won't let it happen again!"

Edington sighed. "That list – flip to the last page."

Maribelle trembled in rage while doing so. Her eyes widened. On the last page, at the very bottom of the sheet, was Edington's name.

"I am a suspect as well," he said. "Everybody in this council is."

An awkward tension suddenly circled the room. Eyes darted from right to left, save for Chrom who looked only toward the ex-commander.

"Edington... would you really go so far to find who's responsible?" he asked.

"And more. I will sniff out these rebels no matter their station, no matter prestige, no matter their influence. I will not let the legacy your father left behind be tarnished! …You best keep that list close, Exalt, because your enemies will be even closer."

Chrom and Maribelle shared a glance.

"That's all I needed to inform you of," Edington said while adjusting the buttons on his sleeve.

Chrom nodded. "Right. This meeting is adjourned.

* * *

><p>Lon'qu took a long look at the pond before him. It sat in the center of Ylisstol Park, and on most given days, it was surrounded by leisurely parkgoers enjoying their afternoons. Today, the pond were deserted. It was a rare opportunity Lon'qu planned to take advantage of. He turned from the body of water to face his daughter Nah. She held a swordsman's stance a few feet away with a wooden sword in her grip. Lon'qu sliced the air with his own then pointed it at her.<p>

"Come."

Nah nodded. She kicked off the grass and bolted for her father; the tip of her sword aiming for his heart. Without taking a stance, Lon'qu lowered his sword then sliced up diagonally. Nah eluded the strike by an inch, then countered by swinging at Lon'qu's leg. He blocked it and batted her sword away. Nah went to swing again, but felt wood at her throat.

"You're dead," Lon'qu said.

Nah pouted and backed off. She got back into stance and rushed her father again. This time she pulled a feint. She faked striking from the front, then weaved around and sliced at his side. She felt something push her stomach.

"You're dead," Lon'qu said again pulling his wooden sword away.

"Ghhrrr..."

Nah made an angry sound and jumped back. She circled Lon'qu like a shark, confusing him on which direction she would come from. She aimed for his back. Lon'qu reversed the grip of his sword and suddenly the tip was but an inch away from Nah's right eye.

"You're dead."

"Darn it! OK, this time I'm really gonna get you!"

Nah walked back in front of Lon'qu and took her original stance. She got angry when she realized that Lon'qu had not budged an inch since they began sparring, but she shook her head and focused.

"Alright, Father... This time you're mine-"

"Dead."

Nah tripped as she ran forward. She pulled her face from the ground and spit out grass. A face full of frustration (and dirt) was glaring at her father.

"How am I already dead? I didn't even reach you yet!"

"Exactly. It took you too long to decide a method of attack. I could have killed you twice over in the mean time."

Nah sighed and curled up on the grass. Lon'qu scratched the back of his head. It had been a month since he and Nah began sword training, and despite her constant lessons Lon'qu's half-dragon daughter was not showing a hint or clue of improvement. He wondered how he managed to father a daughter so inept with the sword. He sat down beside her (with a little distance between, of course.)

"Nah, how is it that you know nothing of swordsmanship? I would think my future self would make it a priority to teach you. Did I teach you _anything?_"

Nah nodded. "A little. You never taught me too much, though."

"Why? Did I not find time? Was I forgetful?"

"You died."

"Ah..." Lon'qu stared at the pond again. He had birthed an air of awkwardness.

Nah sat up. "I don't why you want me to learn swordsmanship anyway. I can turn into a dragon for Naga's sake! Who's going to harm me?"

"I don't know, and that's why I must teach you. Let's say someone attacks you while you're not in dragon form, how will you defend yourself? What will you do if your Dragonstone is missing? Poke them into submission?"

"I could probably defeat you like that. In fact... I owe you a little payback, don't I?"

Lon'qu made a face and inched away from her. "N-nah... Now you know to keep your distance, don't you?"

Nah crawled ever closer to Lon'qu who put his hands up in terror. Suddenly, her sharp ears twitched. She looked toward the shrubbery.

"Father, somebody's watching us..."

Lon'qu's eyes narrowed. He picked up his sword just as a pair of figures came rushing out of the bushes – one heavy and one thin. The thin assailant circled around while the heavy struck from the front with his longsword. Lon'qu blocked his blow, but at the expense of his sword's integrity.

"Nah! Get away!" he commanded.

"But Fa-"

"Go!"

Nah sobbed and ran off just as the second assailant was closing in on Lon'qu's rear. He rolled from underneath the heavy one's longsword and picked up Nah's wooden sword. He dashed behind the heavy, dark skinned mercenary and struck his hip and calf in quick succession. While he buckled, the thin one – a woman – lunged for Lon'qu's throat. Even with a wooden sword, Lon'qu was still able parry and duck into her space. He slammed his hilt into her stomach, sending her reeling backwards.

The heavy one tried to strike his back, but Lon'qu held his sword's point between the man's eyes.

"If you don't want to get hurt, answer this one question: Did Basilio put you up to this?"

The mercenary was silent. He sighed and broke out in a chuckle. "It's good to see you still got it boss!"

The mercenary fell to the ground and started laughing loudly. The young woman sat up and felt the place that Lon'qu had struck her.

"Gods, boss... Would it kill you to hold back a little?"

"If you didn't want to get hurt, you shouldn't have attacked me in the first place. I never hold back in a fight. You two should know that."

"We do now. Urgh..."

The woman hugged her stomach. Her mercenary partner was looking around the park.

"Hey, boss. Where's that girl that you were with earlier?" he asked.

"She's probably ran home to warn her mother. You two scared her death with her little am-""

Lon'qu was interrupted by a weighty draft. Branches shook and water rippled. Lon'qu recognized the sound. It was the beating of dragon wings. Nah flew out of the woodwork in her dragon form.

"You two better stay away from my father!" she exclaimed.

Lon'qu waved his hands at her. "Nah! It's fine! I'm not in anymore danger!"

His warnings were pointless. Nah unleashed a blast of her dragon breath on all three of them. The explosion echoed throughout the park.

* * *

><p>"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!" Nah exclaimed repeatedly.<p>

Her apologies easily numbered in the twenties.

The mercenary known as Grid kept trying to reassure her that all was forgiven. "Forget about it. It's pretty much our own fault for attacking your dad out of nowhere. Right, Niko?"

Niko didn't answer. She was too busy venting about her scorched myrmidon outfit. "Hey, boss. Mind filling me in on why your daughter can turn into a dragon? Or why she's already in her early teens?"

Lon'qu adjusted his burnt sleeves. "It's a long story. Besides, I'm not saying anything to either of you until you tell me why you're here."

"Well, as you guessed, it concerns Basilio. He wants you back," Grid said.

"I already told him I can't return. I have duties to uphold at the moment."

"Duties to uphold?" Nah snorted. "You haven't gone back to Ferox because Mother dislikes the cold."

Lon'qu blushed while his former subordinates snickered to themselves.

"You've become a real family man, boss," Niko jested.

"Bah! If you two are done, Nah and I are leaving."

Lon'qu turned his back on Grid and Niko.

"Flavia is no longer the East Khan," Grid said.

Lon'qu stopped. He glanced over his shoulder. "What did you just say?"

"Flavia lost her position as East Khan to a new khan called Teira. This new khan plans to defeat Basilio in the coming month's tournament and become the reigning khan of Regna Ferox."

"Aren't Basilio's men strong enough?" Lon'qu asked.

Niko snorted. "It's not even a contest. I don't know where this Teira woman got her champions from, but if they up go against Basilio's men, the end result is going to be a massacre. You won't even be able to call it a tournament."

"Hmm... This new khan sounds troublesome."

Grid nodded. "That's why we need you there. Basilio needs help, boss. If a new khan who has no standing relations with Ferox's neighbors takes charge, there's no telling how it'll affect the continent. Seriously, we're asking for more than a favor here."

Lon'qu thought about it. He looked at Nah who looked back. They both faced Grid and Niko at the same time.

"I know you two came a long way just to locate me, but I'm afraid-"

"He'll do it," Nah interjected.

Lon'qu's face froze. "I-I'll do what?"

"You'll go to Ferox to help Basilio. It's the only rational thing to do. The entire continent could be in trouble otherwise."

"Your mother is too stubborn to come with us to Ferox. She despises the cold."

"Then we'll leave her here. Despite her appearance and how she acts, she's still a grownup. She can look after herself for a while."

"If we go to Ferox we'll be thrown in the middle of both a political and militant war!"

"So? It's not like we haven't been through this sort of stuff before."

Lon'qu was getting impatient. He looked at Grid and Niko. "I'm not coming to Ferox. Tell Basilio that."

"Tell Basilio he's coming," Nah said.

"I'm not going just because you insist!"

Nah looked at her father. She folded her arms and looked away. "Fine. We won't go. …But if Basilio loses, and this new khan gets put in charge, I'm going to sleep next to you every night until I'm in my early hundreds."

Nah may as well have held a Killing Edge to her father's throat. The very thought of sleeping next to a woman for the rest of his life made Lon'qu's skin crawl. He looked down and stared at the grass for far too long. Eventually, he looked up at Grid and Niko.

"I... I will see Basilio soon. Tell him that," Lon'qu said shakily.

Grid and Niko didn't know if they should feel accomplished or not. They simply nodded to their former superior and left the park feeling pity for him. Nah was enthusiastic, at least. She grabbed the wooden sword Grid had snapped.

"Hey, Father. Let's spar one more time."

Lon'qu didn't respond. Neither did he look her in the eye. Nah took her stance. She ran over to Lon'qu then playfully bonked him on the head.

"Dead!"


	5. Chapter 4

Ylisse had the most militant history of any nation within the past decade; including Ferox. Within a time frame of only three years, Chrom and his Shepherds had warred in three campaigns. Even considering that one of them was waged away from Ylissean lands, the tolls the kingdom had suffered was great. One of the most tragic being the number of orphans that had been produced.

Fortunately for those children, there were souls like Libra and Lissa who had established an orphanage in the capital for them. Unfortunately for those same children, Libra and Lissa had a son named Owain.

Atop the Omega Orphanage stood Owain – his arms crossed and his gaze hovering over the city.

"The masses of Ylisstol march through the streets, ignorant of the darkness that looms over them. This void would consume them all if not for I – Owain! Whether it be an army of men lead by the conqueror Walhart or a deity of destruction akin to Grima, my sword hand shall find the heart of-"

"Oy! Owain! Shut yer yap! It's too early in the damn day for you to yammer'n that crap!"

Owain looked down and saw Brady standing at the front of the orphanage. He was donning an apron along with his common thuggish moniker. Owain stayed in character.

"Good morn, Brady! I see you've spent the Sun's rising tempering doughs and grains."

"Ya mean cooking? Yeah, ya dingbat. I do this crap every other morning for this joint. You know that."

"I know that? Does the Thuggish Chef mistake me for a seer? A master of divination? I may hail from the future, but my perception stays adamant with the present."

"Naga's pointy ears! Will ya just-"

Brady sighed. He wasn't enough of a morning person to go back and forth with Owain like this.

"Listen... I made crimble-stuffed muffins this morning. If ya don't get yer rear inside godspeed, the tikes are gonna eat em all up."

Suddenly, Owain's expression changed. "Cr-crimble-stuffed muffins? Did Mother ask you to make those?"

Brady nodded. "She kept goin on and on about how much ya loved em. I guess she was-"

Owain leaped from the orphanage's roof and nimbly fell onto the steps below. He rushed inside with a glutenous look on his face. Brady scratched his head.

"This crap is startin ta get old... "

He slumped back inside. When he closed the doors behind him, Owain was already at the table, accepting a muffin from his mother Lissa.

She giggled. "I knew you'd rush back inside for these puppies! I had Brady bake them specifically for you."

"Which was a real pain in the rump, let me tell ya... Yer dear old mom here can't bake for squat, so I had to do all the work myself!" Brady complained.

Lissa scowled at him. "I can so bake! It's just the complicated stuff I have problems with. These muffins need like... two hundred steps to cook!"

Owain wasn't listening. The amount of love he had for the muffin he was eating had tuned out all his outside senses. Lissa looked at him carefully. She licked her thumb them rubbed the corner of Owain's mouth with it.

"You have crumbs on your face, sweetie," she said.

Owain snapped back to Ylisse and backed away from his mother's reach.

"M-mother! Not in front of the children..."

It was too late. He could already hear the snickering behind him. He looked around and saw several young faces laughing to each other.

"Owain, you still need your mom to wipe crumbs off your face? Aren't you a hero of Epoch?"

"I bet she holds his hands when they're out shopping too!"

"It's so cute. Just look at how red he is!"

Owain had fought bandits, merciless soldiers, evil cultists and the living dead, but even he could not withstand the collective pointing and teasing of small children.

"Ugh... The strength of these little ones... Even I, Owain, cannot best their blows."

"Stop foolin around," Brady said while helping Libra set out plates.

"Alright, children. It's time for breakfast," said the gentle monk.

Before any of the children ate, they bowed their heads and put their hands together. Libra lead them in prayer.

"Oh, Blessed Naga. Thank you for watching over us. Thank you for barring back creatures that harm man. Thank you for gracing us with your will each day. In your name we pray. Amen."

"Amen," the orphans concluded.

The kids began feasting hardily. It had become an everyday scene for Lissa and Libra, but it never failed to fill them with satisfaction. When Lissa told Chrom she was going to leave the castle to care for an orphanage beside her new spouse, the vast majority of Ylisstol's nobility was against it. There was no way they would allow a princess to live amongst commoners and raise unclaimed urchins. Lucky for Lissa, the final choice wasn't theirs. It was Chrom's, and he gave his younger his blessing without a single objection deterring him. He even put up money to help the two build their orphanage (which also angered much of the nobility.)

Libra was grateful, except for one thing: the name. Omega Orphanage could be read on the orphanage's front door. It derived from Libra's name. After all, the birth sign for a Libra was an omega. The problem was, Libra was a Cancer. When he tried explaining this, Owain and Lissa objected. Their argument was a simple one – Omega Orphanage sounded much cooler. Libra never brought the subject up again.

He watched the children and Owain eat. It would have been just another day if not for the arrival of a special guest. One of the doors opened, and from it appeared a redhead cradling a baby in one hand and holding a toddler's hand in the other.

"How's it going, Lissa?" Sully asked.

Lissa's jaw dropped. "Sully?"

All the children paused their meals and looked up from their plates.

"It's the Queen!" one girl said in amazement.

The children were roused and tried to compete for Sully's attention.

"Hey, Queen Sully! Are you going to read to us again?"

"Queen Sully, what's it like to ride a horse?"

"Queen Sully, I heard you beat that one guy Brent's entire army with your horse on your back! Did you really?"

All the little ones starting chattering excitedly. Libra tried to calm them, but they were a hyper bunch. None of them matched the toddler Sully brought with her.

"Aun-tee!" Lucina exclaimed while rushing toward Lissa.

Lissa met her halfway. She scooped her up and twirled around with Lucina in her arms.

"Oh my Gods! Lucina, it's been so long! Did you miss me?"

Lucina nodded and wrapped her arms around her aunt's neck.

"Better be careful, Lissa. Little Lucy has a grip as strong as a griffon's beak," Sully said. "You won't get that neck free until she decides to let go."

Lissa snorted at Sully's warning. Then she tried to pull Lucina away from her neck. The tiny princess' arms stayed where they were. Two tries later and Lissa was shooting a pleading look at her husband. He chuckled softly and approached with his arms extended.

"Now, now. It's about time you released your aunt, Lucina. Come to uncle Libra instead."

Lucina peeked over her shoulder. She saw her uncle's smile and reached out for him. Libra patted her head gingerly while he held her. Lissa now focused on the child in Sully's arms.

"Ooh ooh! Is that little Kjelle?" she inquired.

"Yep. The infamous night owl," Sully joshed. "We literally had to appoint her wet nurses a night shift. She's ridiculous, this girl."

"Aw... But she's so cute." Lissa poked Kjelle's little cheeks. The toddler grabbed her finger in response. "I bet Owain will be just as adorable whe-"

Lissa tried pulling her finger away. Kjelle kept a firm grip on it, and she didn't look to let go anytime soon. Lissa shot a miserable look at her mother.

"I told ya, didn't I? Grip as strong as a griffon's beak," said the queen.

"I thought that only applied to Lucina..."

"Apparently, Kjelle's stubby fingers have a little oomph in them too. Here. Just let me..."

Sully helped Lissa break free of Kjelle's monstrous, infant strength.

"So, Sully. What brings you to the orphanage?" Libra asked while his wife attended to her aching finger. "Have you come to read to the children again?"

"Maybe next week. Right now, I need to see Owain and Brady."

"I'm right over here," Brady said, folding his apron and approaching.

"So am I. Praytell, aunt Sully! What news do you bring?"

"Oy, Owain."

Brady made a motion like he was scratching his face. It indicated to Owain he still had crumbs stuck to his. The theatrical swordsman blushed and turned around to wipe his face clean with his sleeve. He blushed harder when he heard the orphans laugh.

"What did ya want with us again?" Brady asked.

"It's about the Ylisse-Chon'sin Migration," Sully said.

"Yea? What about it?"

Sully combed back some of Kjelle's black hair. "You know what an ambassador is?"

* * *

><p>When Lon'qu bought his small home in Ylisse, he had very nice neighbors. They greeted him every morning. They asked how his day was going. They even gave him things to furnish his house with. Though Lon'qu was a reclusive man, he was grateful of his neighbors hospitality. Then Nowi moved in, and on that same night; threw a huge temper tantrum, morphed into a dragon and torched the roofs of the surrounding homes in a passion. Lon'qu's neighbors weren't so nice after that.<p>

Lon'qu had made Nowi promise not to do such a thing again, but when she discovered that he and Nah were planning to head to Ferox without her, Nowi crossed her fingers a bit.

"I can't believe you two are leaving without me..." she whined to Nah.

Nah was doing her best to ignore her while she packed her things. She had gotten good at it in the past year.

"What am I going to do while you two are gone? I'll be lonely! Is that how you want your mom to feel, Nah? Lonely?"

Nah finished packing. She set her things in the corner for the trip tomorrow then preceded to the kitchen to cook dinner for the night.

"Mother, what do you want to eat tonight?" she asked Nowi while taking out utensils.

Nowi sniffed. " …Salmon."

"Alrighty then. Just wait a while and-"

Knocking was heard from the door. Nah put down a knife to go answer it. Standing in the dark outside was Lon'qu with Gregor right beside him, a heavy arm around his shoulder.

"Good evening wee one and even weer'er one. Gregor has come to home sweet home with Lon'qu to, how you say, munch with friends."

Lon'qu scoffed. "Don't you mean mooch off them?"

Gregor laughed and patted Lon'qu's back. "Lon'qu, always with the words as sharp as sword. Gregor come in now, yes?"

Nah looked at her father. She smiled wearily. "...I guess."

The two men walked inside. Lon'qu sat nearest the window to polish one of his swords. Gregor sat down at the table beside Nowi.

"How has days been going, wee one? Matrimony is being fine, Gregor hopes."

Nowi sniffed again and looked away from Gregor. The veteran mercenary scratched his cheek in response.

"Just leave her alone. She'll stop sulking after dinner is ready," Nah said.

"Why even weer'er one so cold to mother's grief? Heart melt slower than Severa's, yes?"

There was a tub underneath the kitchen counter filled with meat preserved in heavily salted water. Nah pulled it out, yanked out four salmons which she placed on a cutting board, then pushed it back in.

"Yesterday, we brought Mother some news she wasn't happy to hear," she said chopping the fish's heads and skinning them. "Father was visited by some old friends who told him that he needed to return to Ferox pronto. Basilio is in real trouble, apparently."

"Trouble? Hah! Basilio is man who chase trouble around corner! What trouble man like him face?"

"Apparently, Flavia was dethroned of her position as East Khan," Lon'qu said while wiping his blade with a cloth.

"What? Flavia no longer East Khan? This big news! Probably biggest news on continent; other than Chon'sin Migration, of course. That biggest news on international level, yes? Lon'qu, tell Gregor who new khan is. Perhaps Gregor and khan former companions."

Lon'qu let the moonlight bounce off his sword. "All I know is that she's a woman named Teira."

Lon'qu and his family were startled when they heard Gregor jump out of his chair. His hand was still on the table while he locked eyes with Lon'qu.

"Gregor not hear what he think he hear... Did Lon'qu just say name Teira? New Khan go by Teira?" Gregor badgered.

Lon'qu put down his sword. "Gregor, do you know this woman?"

"Aye... Basilio right when he call her trouble. Is worst opponent could ever face."

"Is she really that strong?" Nah asked.

"Is not contest of strength, even weerer one. If that case, Basilio might stand chance, but khans not fight themselves. Foreigners fight khans' battles, and Teira's men will be stronger. Gregor knows this without knowing this."

"So Basilio stands no chance if I'm not there?" Lon'qu asked.

"Worser scenario: Basilio still lose even with Lon'qu. Odds in Teira favor. Gregor swear it."

The house was enveloped in silence. Lon'qu and Gregor were locked in each others gaze, and Nah was so concerned she had stopped cooking. The void would have gone on forever if Nowi hadn't suddenly thrown a tantrum.

"Aaaaaawww! I don't know what you guys are talking about! Who's Teira? Why is Basilio chasing some guy called Trouble? What did Flavia do to her throne? Why won't you guys tell me anything?"

"Mother, calm down. You're going to make the neighbors angry again," Nah warned.

"Fooey to the neighbors! They're always mean to me anyways!"

"Because you destroyed the tops of their homes! Of course they would be angry!"

Nowi started sobbing loudly. "Nobody cares about me! That's it! I'm leaving!"

Nowi pulled out her Dragonstone. Lon'qu and Nah tried to stop her, but the stone gleamed and a mystical rosebud enveloped Nowi's body. A dragon with lime green scales and wispy wings appeared and blew a hole in the roof with its breathe. Everybody could still hear Nowi's weeping as she flew away into the moonlit sky.

"Damn it! That emotion-filled girl it going to get us booted out by the landlord!" Lon'qu exclaimed.

Nah sighed. "At least I don't have to cook as much now. I guess I'll put one of the salmon back."

"Gregor suggest you put back deuces of fish. He is leaving."

"Huh? Gregor, you don't have to go. I mean it'll be awkward eating with that giant hole in the roof but-"

"Is not new skyline that is problem, even weerer one. Gregor must rush home. Important trip he needs preparing for. Lon'qu, when you leave for Ferox?"

"Tomorrow afternoon," Lon'qu answered.

"Good. Gregor come with."

Nah made a face.

"What do you mean 'Gregor come with?' We can't just bring extra people like-"

"That's fine. You can join us if you chose to, Gregor," Lon'qu replied.

"Father!? You-"

"Is great news to Gregor's ears! …Is probably best tell Chrom as well. If Gregor and Lon'qu fail in the stopping of new khan, is much trouble heading Ylisse's way. Now then. Gregor excuses self. He hopes Lon'qu and even weer'er one enjoys dinner."

Gregor left to prepare for tomorrow's journey. He left Lon'qu and his daughter alone in their broken home. Nah sighed pitifully and went to put back the salmon. She was done cooking for the night.

"Nah... are you alright? You seem upset."

"Who? Me? I'm just tired is all. If you don't mind, I'm heading to bed early."

"Actually, I was hoping you could finish cook-"

"There's some candied oats and nuts in the cabinets if you get hungry. Oh, you should probably do something about that hole in the roof too before we leave tomorrow."

"Nah, I-"

"Goodnight Father."

Nah went to the backroom, leaving Lon'qu alone with the hole. He looked up out of it. A full moon was staring back at him. It seemed to mock him almost. He sighed.

"The neighbors are going to be furious..."


	6. Chapter 5

Pegasi were mysterious creatures. Aside from being stallions with wings, they had an odd habit of going toward whatever mildly interested them – like Henry, for example. When he came to the stables, every pegasi that wasn't locked in a pen flocked to him like butterflies to a bed of tulips.

"Hey, you guys! It's been a while, huh?" he asked the pegasi as they gathered around to lick and nudge him affectionately.

A stable hand who was just brushing one of the pegasi's manes quickly came to see what made the creature stride off so abruptly. She saw Henry, and suddenly all her suspicions were gone. She didn't know whether it was because he was married to the Pegasus Knights' second-in-command or because he was a mage, but the pegasi always went nuts when Henry was around.

"Sir Henry, are you visiting today?" she asked.

"Nah. I just came to play hide and seek."

"Hide and seek? You mean with the pegasi?"

"Nope, but these guys can help if they wanna. Say, have any of you guys seen a giant crybaby around here?"

One pegasus neighed and trekked off toward the back of the stables. Henry followed while playfully waving goodbye to the stable hand. As he and pegasus got closer to the rear of the stables, he started to hear sobs. One more corner was turned and Henry found his daughter Cynthia curled up in a ball with tears running down her face.

Henry scratched the pegasus' chin. "Good job. You're really good at this game."

The horse neighed again as Henry approached his daughter. "What's up, Cynthia? Why the long face? Get it? Long face? Because you're crying behind a pegasus stable?" Henry chuckled. "Man! Am I good or what?"

Cynthia didn't look up at her father. She kept her head buried in her knees while she sobbed.

"Father... Mother yelled at me."

"Yeah. So what? You yell plenty yourself."

"B-but..." She sniffed. "I really messed up this time. You see, Captain Chrom's been assigning brigades to guard the ships gathering at ports for the migration. Mother and I got put on the same brigade, and I was really excited to work beside her. I wanted to show her how hard I've been working in the past year."

"You mean all those walls you've been crashing through? Or all those loopty loops you've learned how to do?"

"No! I mean real stuff like spear training! I couldn't wait to prove myself. So when a small fleet of ships we were patrolling got attacked by pirates, I flew straight into them. I could hear Mother yelling at me to stay with the brigade, but I was too hot-headed. I flew through one of their sails to immobilize them, then I starting picking the guys off the deck one by one. I was on such a high streak, I didn't notice the one guy who came out on the deck with a crossbow."

"Right... I can guess how the story went from there. You got sunk, your pegasus got hurt, everyone else got put into a jam because you decided to play Ms. Invincible, and to top it off, Sumia chewed you out like fresh waffles. Did I miss anything?"

"Only the part where Mother cut me from the brigade."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that bit. I'm guessing that's where the tears are coming from?"

Cynthia started sobbing again. Never in her life had she felt like such a failure. Back in the future, she trained herself diligently in hopes of living up to her late mother's expectations. She now had the opportunity to do that in the past and ended up with straight zeroes across the table, with a complimentary booing to take back home with her. All she wanted was to bury herself in a bundle of hay and pray that the pegasi ate her by mistake.

She suddenly felt somebody nudging her hair. She looked up and saw the pegasus that had led Henry to her. It licked her ears. She giggled.

"Hey, you. Cut it out. I'm really trying to be sad here and you're messing me up."

"Hey, Cynthia. What does your mom say about pegasi and feelings? Oh, yeah! She says _a pegasus can read a person's heart like it does the direction of the wind _or something corny like that. Anyway, you should probably quit all the booing and hooing. Heroes don't cry just because their mothers give them a good finger wagging, do they?"

Cynthia wiped her eyes. She took a deep breath then hopped to her feet.

"Your absolutely right, Father! What am I doing moping around like some constipated dung beetle? If Mother kicked me off the brigade, it's obviously because she thought I wasn't ready to perform my duty as a SUPER-ECSTATIC-MEGA-TREMENDOUS-STUPENDOUS-AMAZING-RIGHTEOUS-UNSTOPPABLE hero of Ylisse, right?"

"Uh... Yeah. Definitely. You better get to practicing so you can show her that learned from your mistakes and all that."

Henry chuckled half-heatedly. To think he was cheering his depressed daughter up a few seconds ago. Now, her newly found energy was so radiant it threatened to blind the entire stable with its glow. Henry saw his work was done and started moseying off when he heard more whimpers.

"Cynthia, I thought you were gonna quit it with the tears," he said.

Cynthia pet the pegasus while she shook her head in denial. "I'm not to one who's weeping."

She and Henry looked around. The pegasus Cynthia was petting neighed again, and tread off with the father and daughter trailing behind. The sobbing got louder as the pegasus stopped in front of a hill of hay. It stuck its mouth in.

"Ow!" exclaimed a tiny voice.

A small, green-haired girl popped out of the hill, rubbing her head.

"Nowi? Is that you?" Cynthia asked in disbelief. "Why are you crying in a hay bale?"

Nowi sniffed. "I thought if I sat in the hay for long enough a pegasus would eat me by mistake. Getting eaten by a pegasus really hurts, though!"

Nowi rubbed her head and started sobbing again. Henry meanwhile gripped his stomach and laughed wholeheartedly. Cynthia simply blushed and scratched her cheek. She couldn't join in her father's chortles knowing that she had the same idea as Nowi literally a minute ago. The pegasus understood and licked her hand out of pity.

* * *

><p>There were only a few days left until the month ended. Tharja would soon be home to join her daughters on their trip to her relatives in Plegia. In that time, Morgan and Noire checked, double checked, and then checked their things once more to assure they were all packed and ready. They brought tombs, arrows, Noire's best bow, Morgan's best sword, Laurent's map, a change of clothes, water, food, money, a few talismans for Noire, extra money, extra extra money, a strategy book for Morgan, some more money, and finally Tharja's wedding ring that Noire brought back to the past with her.<p>

Morgan was still packing when she found the ring. She explored it from different angles before looking at her sister who was currently at a table, finishing a new talisman.

"Hey, Noire. Quick question," Morgan said peeking through the ring as though it was a telescope. "Why do you still keep this copy of Mother's ring on you?"

"It's not a copy, Morgan. It's the genuine thing – exactly the same as the one Mother's currently wearing."

"I know. I've just always wondered why you hang onto it so much. This is the first time I found it anywhere outside your room."

Noire paused from decorating the talisman. "…I guess, because it keeps Mother close to me."

"But Mother is close: a twenty minute walk from this house, to be exact."

"I mean our **real **mother. The one who died in the future.."

Morgan looked at the ring again. "Oh, yeah..."

She had almost forgotten that this world's Robin and Tharja were different from the ones who raised her and Noire. The ones who birthed her were dead and gone, but unlike Noire, she had no memory of the fact. She only remember the good times she had with her father. Now that she thought about it, that was extremely odd. Even Brady had pointed it out to her at some point. It wasn't just that Morgan had only memories of her father, she only had 'good' memories of her father. She had the occasional memory where she skinned her knee or got a paper cut from a book she was reading, but those all ended with Robin sweetly bandaging her up and coddling her. How could her memories be so specific?

"Done!" Noire exclaimed once she finished fastening a string on her talisman.

She held it up for Morgan to see. "Do you like it?"

Morgan examined it. A surprising graphic was on the talisman. It was Grima's insignia.

"Uh... Sis, do you know what you just painted on that thing?"

"Y-yeah. It's Grima's insignia. I knew what I doing when I made it."

"Then why did you still make it?"

"Because Grima's dead. Father made sure of that. Wearing his symbol means nothing now, doesn't it?"

Morgan hummed to herself. It was true. The Grima cultists that still existed were basically worshiping hot air now.

Morgan shrugged. "Well, if you wanna wear it, I guess it's your choice."

"But I don't want to wear it. I made this talisman for you."

Noire walked over and sat down beside her sister who was giving her a bemused look.

"Why would you make me a talisman? You know I don't believe in that voodoo stuff. ...Well, I do. With a mother like ours, I kinda have to; but I still don't believe in luck."

"That's just the strategist in you talking. Father always said the same thing; trying to rationalize everything. This talisman doesn't bless its wearer with good fortune or ward off evil. The only thing inside of it is hair."

"Hair? Who's hair?"

"Mine. Mother's. Father's."

"Wait... How did you get a lock of Father's hair?"

"I searched his and Mother's bedroom."

"You found year old strands of hair in a bedroom that's been empty for months?!"

Noire chuckled awkwardly. "Yes. Well, I am my mother's daughter. Anyway, I wanted you to have this. This way, no matter where you go, you'll always have us with you."

Morgan smiled broadly. She took the talisman from her sister and held it and Tharja's ring in her hands.

"Thanks, Noire. …Buuuuuut, quick question? Why would I need something to keep everyone's memory close to me when you, Mother, and I are about to go on a trip together?"

Noire made a face. Somehow that small detail had slipped her mind while she was making the talisman. Before she could stumble out an answer, three precise knocks were heard at the door. Morgan flipped her mother's ring to Noire then went to answer it.

Outside the house stood Laurent and a grey haired pretty boy.

"Laurent! …and Inigo," Morgan said while letting them in.

Inigo's face slumped while he walked in behind Laurent. "It would be nice if you could save a little of that enthusiasm for me..."

"Oh, I'm happy to see you too. It's just... You're supposed to be patrolling the area around Southtown with Kellam aren't you? You didn't just leave, right?"

"Of course not! The only one who left was Father. More specifically, he vanished – midway while leading the patrol, I might add. Nearly got us all lost. After spending two days searching for him, everyone just decided to head back to capital."

"What about Kellam?"

"He'll pop up eventually. He always does. Anyway, Laurent and I brought some news you might be interested in."

Laurent sat down at the table while Noire brought him something to drink.

"It concerns the Ylisse-Chon'sin Migration. Queen Sully has brought an interesting plan to our attention. She wants the children from the future to visit Chon'sin as ambassadors for Ylisse."

Noire and Morgan's eyes widened. They both looked at each other.

"Laurent, Morgan and I can't go to Chon'sin right now. We're traveling for Plegia in a few days with our mother," Noire pointed out.

Laurent nodded. "I am aware, and when I brought this detail to Queen Sully's attention, she explained that the ambassadorship was a voluntary venture. Anyone of us may decline the offer if we so wish."

"And how many have?" asked Morgan.

Inigo sighed. "You'll be surprised. The Queen got a surprising amount of tardy slips from our group. She got nearly as many yes's as no's. Sully first got the idea from Lucina and Kjelle who asked Chrom could they go to Chon'sin as royal visitors, but Nah said no."

"Why?"

"She and her dad are heading to Ferox today. Something concerning the annual tournament for the East and West Khans. Anyway, that's two to one. After that, she went to Owain and Brady who both said yes, but Yarne said no. He wants to stay close to parents. Plus, he's also been deadly afraid of the sea ever since Robin pulled that stunt where he decimated most of Walhart's fleet. That's four to two. Laurent and I said yes, but Cynthia said no. She just wanted to be on the Migration Guard, and since she's no longer a part of it, she has no reason to leave Ylisstol. Six to three.

"You two aren't going because you're looking for Robin with Tharja. Meanwhile, Gerome is a member the Migration Guard, but he said he'd fly over once that job was finished, so that's seven to five."

A certain person came to Noire's mind. A close friend.

"What about Severa?" she asked.

Inigo scratched his head.

"Well... She's probably going to say..."

* * *

><p>"No way," Nah said when she saw Gregor approach the carriage with Severa in tow.<p>

"What? Am I not supposed to be here?" Severa asked with her hands on her hips.

"No, and neither is Gregor. Oh, but I'm _sure _Father will happily welcome both of you aboard."

Gregor snorted while tossing his sack and sword into the back of the carriage.

"Gregor believes this after seeing this. Lon'qu is last person giving the welcome with arms stretched wide."

Severa followed her father's suit, and packed her things into the back. She climbed aboard and sat parallel to Nah.

"So you and Gregor are just going to leave Cordelia by herself?"

"Hmph! Like you have anyplace to talk. I already heard about how your dear mother was so heartbroken she literally stormed out of the house."

Nah groaned. "Don't remind me. Father had to recruit Vaike and a few of his tavern buddies to fix the roof before we left. The landlord is going to be furious. Not to mention, we haven't seen Mother since she her little frenzy last night. …I at least wanted to say goodbye."

Severa glanced at Nah's sullen face. Though she would never admit it, she felt the same way about her own mother. When she heard Gregor was going to Ferox, she insisted he bring her with him. Unfortunately, Cordelia wasn't around at the time to bid them farewell. She had been made captain of the Migration Guard, and was away from home constantly. A single note detailing Severa and Gregor's departure was the only thing Cordelia would find when she finally returned home.

Severa sighed. "Gawds! Where's Lon'qu? He was the one who planned this trip, but he's the only one who's late!"

"Severa is right. Words still harsh like nude night stroll in Feroxi Winter, but is right," Gregor said. "Where is father, even weer'er one?"

"We split up when we left our house. He headed for the castle to warn Chrom like you told him to, while I brought our things to the carriage to wait for him. He should be here soon. …I think that's him now!"

They all looked. Coming toward the carriage was Lon'qu with a pair of small arms clutched to his waist.

"M-mother?!" Nah blurted.

Lon'qu looked miserable and flustered while Nowi kept her arms around his hips. Looking entertained by the charade was Henry and Cynthia who followed the two closely.

Nah was annoyed. "Father, are planning on bringing all of the Shepherds with us? Did you somehow manage to recruit Chrom and Sully too?"

Lon'qu responded to this daughter's agitation with some agitation of his own. "Chrom and Sully aren't coming with us. And neither is **she**."

Lon'qu managed to break Nowi's grip around him.

"Go home," he said to her.

Nowi face got dark. "What's the point of going home if I'm the only one there?"

"We'll be back as soon as Ferox's tournament is over, Mother. I swear we will," Nah promised. "Besides, you won't be alone. Tharja will still be at Ylisstol. You and she are friends, right?"

Henry raised his hand. "Actually, Tharja is gonna be leaving the city with her family in a couple days."

Nowi's face got darker.

"W-well... Cherche and Minerva will play with you," Nah said as she hastily tried to save the situation.

Cynthia raised her hand. "Actually, Cherche and Virion are heading back to Rosanne later this week, and they're taking Minerva with them."

Nowi's face resembled the sky shortly after Grima's rebirth. She pulled out her Dragonstone and was about to make another scene. Unfortunately for Nowi, Severa had lost her patience.

"Gawds! Will you start acting your age for once!" she shrilled. "These two have already sworn that they'll come back as soon as they can because they care about you! The least you could do is suck it up, act like an adult, and send them off with dignity!"

Everyone in and around the carriage was struck silent. The silence was eventually broken by Henry and Cynthia clapping.

"Woah! That was amazing, Severa!" Cynthia applauded. "I should add that rant to my list of Hero Speeches!"

"Yeah! That was great!" Henry agreed. "I haven't heard somebody yell at a kid that much since that time I lost my mother's favorite bracelet."

Their praise caused Severa to fluster and hunker down in the carriage to hide her face. The scolding she gave Nowi however, shook her a bit. She tugged on Lon'qu's sash.

"Will you two really come back as soon as you can?" she asked him.

He smiled. "I swear it."

Nowi nodded. "OK! I can wait then. Hey, Lon'qu. I have something to give you. Look at this..."

Lon'qu bent down closer to Nowi to see. She pecked his cheek. She ran off while he was flustered, waving goodbye frantically.

"Bye, Nah! Bring home something yummy!" she yelled back while disappearing around the corner.

Gregor laughed hardily. "Gregor was sure Lon'qu reflexes best in Ferox. Gregor must guess wrong!"

Gregor climbed into the carriage and sat near Severa.

"Father, come on! You can shake it off during the ride," Nah said.

Lon'qu prayed that he would and hopped into the carriage at last. Henry and Cynthia waved goodbye to their friends as the carriage pulled off. A few seconds later, it was out of their sight. A few minutes later, it was out of Ylisstol. A few hours later, it couldn't be seen from the tallest vantage point in the city.

Lon'qu, Nah, Gregor, and Severa were leaving Ylisse. Many of their friends would soon follow suit. Shortly after the group's departure, Virion and his wife Cherche – who was in the last month of her pregnancy – said farewell to their friends to reclaim Virion's dukedom in Rosanne. Morgan and her family left for Plegia only a few days later. After them, was Lucina's group who boarded a private ship to Chon'sin ahead of the migration. The remaining Shepherds and their children stayed in the capital to ready the migration's elements as well as combat the suspicious conspiracy slithering through Ylisse.

It was their most sporadic campaign yet, but it involved no war. An era of great change from every corner of the world was coming, and the Shepherds would be the first ones to face it.


End file.
